False Advertisement
by another tedious being
Summary: Arabella Cruz has successfully taken over her deceased uncle's unlawful business and placed herself on the same high ranks as Maroni, but what can the outcome of a bank robbery and envy towards a certain district attorney lead to when she begins to associate herself with the clown who has began a feud with the city's flying rodent?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

The Clown That Could

Seated nearest to the entrance of the hotel's kitchen, Arabella waited tediously for the rest of the infamous mob leaders to arrive to the meeting Lau had called them for. She felt ridiculous having to be seated inside of a hotel kitchen, but with Batman lurking and the police getting tips from the flying rodent there was no choice but to take precautionary measures. The arrogant men entered one by one, trailed by enormous bodyguards whose muscles were covered by sharp suits. They reminded her of Teddy, her own bodyguard, but he wasn't present today. Today he was in the office and one of her various assistants had taken his place for the day. In the end there was only one chair left empty as the Chechen had taken a seat next to her. He was one of the few she managed to tolerate. Gambol sat opposite of her and Maroni was beside him. A few others who weren't as powerful, and simply worked for Maroni, were present as well. Arabella recognized a few from their weekly brunches at Maroni's favorite place.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Lau's men brought a small television into the room and placed it on the opposite end of the empty seat.

"The hell is this?" The man seated near Maroni asked angrily.

The television flickered on and Lau appeared, causing murmurs amongst the gangsters. "As you're all aware, one of our deposits have been stolen. A relatively small one: 68 million," Lau spoke, conceit seeping through his voice.

"Who's stupid enough to steal from us?" The Chechen asked.

"Two-bit whackjob wears a cheap purple suit and make-up. He's not the problem- he's a nobody," Maroni assured the Chechen. "The _problem_ is our money being tracked by the cops,"

Lau continued, "Thanks to Mr. Maroni's well placed sources, we know that police have indeed identified our banks and are planning to seize your funds today,".

Shouting ensued as Lau talked. Arabella only stared at the man behind the screen. What was he scheming?

"So what are you proposing?" Maroni inquired Lau.

"Moving all deposits to one secure location. Not a bank." Lau explained.

Arabella scoffed at the man behind the screen and Gambol interrupted, "Where, then?"

"Obviously, no one can know but me. If police were to gain leverage over one of you, everyone's money would be at stake,"

"What stops them getting to you?" The Chechen asked.

Arabella already had her answer for Lau, she had practically known he would be useless to them since Maroni had proposed they became associates with him. Just by the way the man carried himself, it was evident to her that he wouldn't do anything to benefit her. It did make her want to pry into the other mobsters books, were they that desperate to trust someone who had no knowledge of how Gotham worked? She certainly didn't want him handling any of her money, especially considering a quarter of it was placed with the mob's account in the trusted banks. The rest was spread into two separate accounts, where police could easily access her monetary movements. She concluded she would have to speak to Lau directly, doubting he'd like to hear an earful from the acrimonious woman.

"As the money is moved I go to Hong Kong. Far from Dent's jurisdiction. And the Chinese will not extradite one of their own,"

"How soon can you move the money?"

"I already have. For obvious reasons I couldn't wait for your permission. Rest assured, your money is safe,"

Arabella's blood began to boil and was about to verbally complain to Lau when she heard it.

Loud and slow laughter filled the room and before she could properly turn she heard his voice. "And I thought _my_ jokes were bad,".

The kitchen had come to a complete silence and the clown had gained everyone's attention. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off," Gambol told Joker. Arabella rolled her eyes at the temperamental gangster in front of her and looked back at the clown, watching his reaction.

The Joker proceeded to take out an ordinary sharpened pencil from his coat and slammed it into the table, making it stand upright. "How 'bout a magic trick?" Gambol looked at the clown with disbelief and motioned for his goon to take action. "I'll make this pencil disappear!" He proclaimed. Before the goon could even touch him, the clown had slammed him onto the table, truly making the pencil disappear. Arabella glanced up to him, intrigued as to what he wanted.

Sitting down, the Joker continued, "Ta-da! It's- it's gone," He looked around at the table of gangsters. "Oh, and by the way, the suit wasn't cheap. You oughta know. You bought it,"

Gambol rose from his seat and before he could begin to whine Arabella spoke. " _Sit_ , Gambol," All eyes were on her now, including the Joker's. "The clown has caught my attention. Let him speak," She said quietly, her eyes focused intently on Gambol's, her brown eyes speaking words only Gambol could hear.

Gambol had tried to pursue Arabella numerous times and to much of his dismay, she just would not budge. She said no to breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, a night at the theatre, everything. She wouldn't even let him walk her to her car. Arabella was a tough one. He thought that with time she would see she would have to give in to him. How couldn't she? Driven by his desire to make her his, Gambol always had respect for Arabella, and the look she was giving him held a promise that if he did as asked he might be compensated, something he had been yearning for.

Gambol remained standing and the clown had a ghost of a smirk on his lips. He then pointed at Arabella and raised his brow slightly, almost thanking her. "Smart, gal," He told Gambol as he took his seat again. The gangster sneered at the man with the painted face.

"Let's wind the clocks back a year, these cops and lawyers wouldn't _dare_ cross any of you? I mean, what happened? D'your balls drop off? _Hm_?" Arabella allowed herself to smile at the humorous clown. He was putting on an act, alright. "I mean, with the exception of little Red here, of course," He added, glancing at her before continuing. "Y'see a guy like me-"

"A **freak** ," Gambol aspersed, earning chuckles from the men. The man with the painted face ignored him.

" _A guy like me…"_ Arabella watched something in him change, a flicker of an unidentified emotion wavered, but it quickly vanished. "Look, listen. I know why you choose to have your- _ahem_ -little group therapy session in broad daylight. I know why you're afraid to go out at night. The Batman. See, Batman, has shown Gotham your true colors, unfortunately. _Dent_? He's just the beginning. And as for the television's so-called 'plan'- Batman has no jurisdiction. He'll find him and make him squeal. I know the squealers when I see them and…" The Joker needed to continue no further.

"And what are you suggesting we do, exactly?" Arabella inquired.

"It's simple. We, uh, _kill_ the Batman." The room erupted with laughter but all Arabella could do was stare at the clown. Killing the Batman seemed too good to be true. Besides, the Batman hadn't caught any of her workers. She had a very different method of employment and work compared to her fellow colleagues. Her employees had much more slim chances of getting into her undisclosed industry than those working for other mobsters. Not only that but they did all their dirty work during the day in a professional and confidential manner and setting. Not at night when the flying rodent was out. _She_ didn't need the Batman dead, her business wasn't hurting.

"If it's so simple, why haven't you done it already?" Maroni questioned the clown, not amused.

"If you're good at something never do it for free," The clown recited.

"How much you want?" The Chechen asked.

"Uh, _half_ ," The laughter returned, now louder than before.

"You're crazy," Someone said. Arabella could only observe the Joker, watching intently as his eyes turn dark and cold. They had poked the bear, she could feel his anger radiating towards her and the other men.

"I'm not. No, I'm no _t_ ," He placed emphasis on the t. "If we don't deal with this now, soon, little- _uh_ \- Gambol here won't be able to get a nickel for his grandma-" He had just began to humor himself again when he was interrupted once more.

"Enough from the clown!" Gambol roared, rising from his seat.

" _Ah, ta, ta, ta, ta,_ " The clown stood up and opened his coat, exposing various explosives sewn into it. The men swore and backed away, leaving Arabella to be the only one still seated at the table. He had caught her off guard and now she stayed frozen to her seat, nothing left for her to do. "Let's not _blow_ this out of proportion," He joked and glanced at Arabella, a small laugh wanting to escape her lips despite the predicament she was in.

"You think you can just steal from us and walk away?" Gambol asked the clown.

"Yeah,"

"I'm putting the word out- 5 hundred grand for this clown dead. A million alive, so I can teach him some manners, first," Gambol stated, seething at the clown before him.

"Alright, so, listen. You give me a call when you want to start taking things more seriously." The eccentric man took out something from his pocket and raised it up for all to see. "Here's my card," With that, he placed a joker card on the table and backed away, leaving.

"Call Lau. Cancel everything and get my money back as soon as possible," Arabella instructed the assistant who had come along with her. He nodded quickly, his hands shaking and his face pale.

"Arabella, where the hell are you going?" Gambol asked her, in disbelief.

"To employ the clown you just threw out," She said without looking back, walking as quickly as she could in her heels to find the Joker.

Making her way out of the kitchen and into multiple halls, Arabella ended up in the back alley of the hotel. She huffed and felt stupid upon seeing the old brick wall before her. As she turned her heel to go back inside a voice called out to her.

"You know, I'm surprised it only took you a minute to seek me,"

Turning around, she came face to face with the infamous clown. He looked amused as he made his towards her. "I mean, I'm _flattered_ , but my, my, you didn't seem all _that_ eager in there," She arched her brow at him, not liking the fact that he had analyzed her despite the fact that she had done the same to him.

"It's nothing but a bleak affair with those idiots. Anyways, I need your help," Arabella told the clown before her.

He let out a short laugh, "Try telling that to little Gambol."

The humorous tone in his voice made her want to smile at him. How could he be so comical when Gambol had just put a price to his head? "Gambol is a pertinacious being," She told him, taking a step closer to him to show confidence. "But, I didn't follow you to talk about Gambol," Arabella said carefully and took another step forward. "I'm willing to compromise and make a deal if you can complete a task for me,"

The clown smiled.

* * *

I know the first chapter is slow, but I promise the pacing will grow and will be much more interesting [or so I think], and will center on Arabella. I've been working on this idea for a while and finally built up the courage to publish the first chapter.

Also, my dialogue will be based on both the Nolan script and film, depending on what I think fits best with the scene. To see the original film script, which I highly suggest everyone reads because it's brilliant, you can easily google it and find an online pdf.

Thanks for reading, your comments are always welcome and much appreciated.

 **Disclaimer:** None of the DC or Nolan characters are mine.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Coming to Terms

Joker didn't like her. No, she was too influenced by her emotions and let herself take action on what she felt was morally right. And _that_ wasn't good. He was, nonetheless, quite surprised at the chore the redhead had given him. She had offered him such a great deal he just couldn't say no. Saying no would be an insult to her and he didn't want to insult her, no.

No, she was capable of doing so much more for him to do that. With the revelation that there certainly was something more than politics when it came to old pristine Harvey he knew she was worth something. Perhaps, even behind all the morality and ethical bullshit, she could bloom into the perfect incarnation of a wolf in sheep's clothing. He knew that with a strong enough push she would be close to achieving her full potential.

The way her dark eyes sought for compliance when she told him she needed him to carry out an assassination made him feel ecstatic. She looked murderous yet skeptical about him. With only that, he knew she wasn't certain whether she was making a practical commitment. It was evident she was weighing her options as they spoke.

"I know dealing with you is a huge risk," She had said. "I am, however, willing to place my trust in you for the benefits both of us will reap if everything goes accordingly. You can keep everything from the mob; I can offer you any monetary necessities for the time being." She rendered.

He stared at her. She _needed_ him, he could deftly see that. Why she hadn't just hired some freelance hitman to do the job for her? He wasn't sure. "And, _uh_ , when do you need your little _deed_ done?" He asked.

As she let out a small exhale in relief, she cracked a smile. "As soon as you can," Joker furrowed his brows at her. Was she playing a game with him? "I just need to make sure you to assure me of one thing," She added.

There it was. A condition. He held back a sneer and nodded, raising a brow, motioning for her to continue. "You have to vow not to harm Harvey," The young woman told him, her eyes sincere.

A sour taste grew in his mouth. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Den _t_ , huh? _Well_ , _well_ , _well_ , don't tell me he's your _lover_ ," He exclaimed, engrossed in the relationship between the female mobster and the district attorney.

The redhead grew tense. "He's an old friend. I just want him safe," She explained, but he knew better. He could easily unravel her care for the white knight. Joker looked her up and down, intimidating her. She didn't flinch, having grown used to being under a microscope. She only sized him up, tilting her head slightly back, pointing her chin at him, her hands crossed at her chest.

She couldn't intimidate him. He was practically twice her size. Even with her heels, she was still about a foot or so smaller than him. "Just do as I say, it's all I ask," He let out a sharp laugh at that. Holding back the urge to retort, Arabella dismissed his actions and took out a pen from her blazer, writing down her address on the card he had left earlier in the kitchens. "We should discuss things more privately and in more detail. Go to my hotel before noon tomorrow. Head towards the back alley. Knock on the white door twice. My people will let you in," She told Joker, handing him back his calling card. "Do try and be discreet,"

He took between his index and middle finger, glancing at it. "I'll do my best," He said theatrically.

At precisely noon the next day Joker followed Arabella's directions and was escorted into the second highest floor, which was fairly empty, save for the few men and women who were all seated in desks lined along the wall, facing the woman's fairly large office. He found it abnormal, they were all invested in their work and when noticing him, he only caught a momentary sign of fear and discomfort, but nonetheless, they went back to work, appearing to be more fearful of the consequences they would face if they stopped.

He turned back to the large man who he had been trailing and watched him knock and open the door to the mobster's workroom. He stepped inside and noticed a window wall with its drapes slightly pulled back, allowing sunlight to fill only a fraction of the room. The rest of the walls were coated in mint green paint that was adorned with various framed images of rainforest waterfalls. There was a large rhapis plant in a corner of the room and a small vase with a couple of white carnations placed on her rectangular dark, oak desk. On it was a laptop, papers, folders, and a few frames. Seated behind the desk was Arabella, wearing a beige blouse, a white skirt that reached her knees, and brown knee high boots. Her red hair was pulled back, a few red tendrils framing her face. She looked largely invested in the paper she was holding as the Joker walked inside, wearing his usual colorful suit and his grotesque makeup on.

So much for being discreet, she thought. "Take a seat," Arabella motioned to the chair opposite to her, looking up from a thick stack of papers.

"You got a nice place," Joker complimented, taking in the room. He noticed how there was no way someone could look inside her office aside from the window wall which only had access to the view of the city. "You like your privacy, don't ya, toots?" He inquired.

She put down the papers and studied him. He seemed frisky. "I do," She answered, clearing the top her desk. "Anyway, Gambol asked me out later tonight. I think it's the perfect opportunity," She told him.

"Perfect opportunity to, _uh_ , what?" He watched her lip twitch with annoyance at his false unfamiliarity.

"For you to exterminate him,"

The way those words left her lips made him smirk. Oh, she didn't seem fazed by her own malice, no. The words slipped out of her brown coated lips like water. The moment replayed continuously as he thought about it. "You got him by the balls don't you," He observed.

She smiled, any sign of irritation washing away at his remark. "You're pretty explicit, but yes, I do,"

He shrugged, moving nearer to her and placing his hands on her desk. "It happens. Anyway, you want to exterminate little old Gambol,"

"Right, well, I'm more than sure he'll try to make a move and knowing him, he'll have no more than five men with him for the occasion," Arabella began, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. "He has invited me to his pool hall for drinks at seven,"

"Why isn't he just the gentleman?" Joker speculated.

Arabella smiled, quietly agreeing with the clown. "Give me twenty minutes or so with him, then come inside and do what you have to do," She told him, handing Joker the paper where she had written the address and time.

"You want me to just waltz in there?" The man before her inquired, taking one of the framed pictures facing her and inspecting it. It looked recent, her hair the same red shade and length it was now. The irascible woman was posing for the camera with Mayor Garcia, who despite having an authoritative posture in his campaign photos, looked strikingly discolored in comparison to her.

Arabella looked up and frowned. "You're a theatrical man, are you not? I'm sure you can find a way in," She snatched the image quickly, her voice and glare venomous. He looked at her with dark menacing eyes to which she replied, "Don't treat this like some game,"

Joker mused of his hands enveloping in her crimson hair, caressing her soft cheek, allowing his gloved thumb to lightly brush against her plump lips before taking a hold of her pretty, little neck and taking the warm air out of her. It could be easily done, but something refrained him from doing so. She could be valuable, especially now that she had stupidly admitted to having close ties to Harvey Dent.

"Look, all you have to do is get in, I can deal with the rest if that's what you prefer,"

The Joker only clicked the roof of his mouth with his tongue and watched her intently. "I'll take care of it, Red, you just make sure you look your _darn_ bes _t_ ," Studying him, she realized he was probably mocking her, but he spoke before she could say anything else. "I meant it, Red, you just let me take care of it," His assurance was only slightly relieving to her.

"Do you need anything else?" Arabella asked him, finally paying her full attention to him, her desk clear of anything. He flashed a smile at her. She internally cringed at his yellow teeth, maintaining a calm and neutral face, refusing to encourage his obscene gestures.

Joker pretended to be in thought. "I'll need some time to think it over," he said at last, getting up from his seat. He adjusted his suit and slicked back his hair, making his gloves squeak. "See you tonight, Red" With a wink he turned and left, leaving her feeling slightly disgusted.

Arabella watched the door the clown had just disappeared from, wondering if he would be a real ally to her or if she was simply a pawn in some chaotic plan of his. Shaking her head she returned to her work and spent the rest of the day at her office, making calls and approving new motions for future projects. A half hour before she was to leave she made her way to the penthouse she resided in, above her personal office floor, and decided to change into a more casual black dress. Putting on matching heels and allowing her hair to cascade freely down her back, she exited her penthouse with her clutch and went downwards to leave. She exited the elevator and was headed towards the revolving doors where her guard awaited when the receptionist called out her name.

Giving Teddy a wave of assurance she went towards reception where the woman was holding the phone out to her. "Wayne," The woman mouthed. Arabella furrowed her eyes in confusion but took the phone and pressed it to her ear, holding up to Teddy her index finger, asking him to hold on a moment.

"Bruce?" She asked.

"Ara, do you have a moment?" He asked cheerfully.

She glanced at the clock. She had to hurry if she wanted to get to Gambol's on time. "No, not really," She told him sincerely. "How does breakfast tomorrow sound?" She suggested.

"It's a date! I'll pick you up," He replied casually, and unusually enthusiastic.

Arabella raised her brow at the billionaire's first words. "Okay, goodbye Bruce," Giving the phone back to the receptionist she shook her head in confusion, the words of the playboy still ringing in her head.

Teddy took her by her arm and escorted her out, allowing her to enter into her limousine, courtesy of Gambol. "Wayne wants to go on a date," Arabella told her loyal guard, laughing lightly at the thought. Teddy did the same, his deep chuckling making her smile. "Bruce Wayne, playboy billionaire, going on a date with one woman?" She scoffed. "As if I was another ragdoll for his use," Her demeanor had changed now. Now, she was more inquisitive and intrigued. Her relationship with Wayne had changed over the last year, their friendship diminishing after Harvey and Rachel began to publicly date. They had both secluded themselves and their calls and brunches had slowly gone scarce. He didn't blame her, and she didn't blame him, as both had gone through their own personal loss, but for Bruce to be asking her out on a date was unheard of. Not to mention the fact that whenever he was seen out in public it was hard to not notice the eye candies he had by his side like an accessory. It made her wonder what the man wanted with her of all people.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Arabella too invested in her personal thoughts to talk to Teddy, who had only accompanied her if anything went wrong before his arrival, not knowing if there was a chance the clown could have gone behind her back and made a deal with Gambol instead. She had mulled over her options and decided to have protection and a quick getaway just in case. She observed her surroundings as they neared the familiar hall, not noticing anything out of the ordinary for Gambol. Only when the car halted to a stop in front of the pool hall did Arabella address Teddy, "Thank you, T, I'll take it from here,"

"You be careful now, Cruz," He advised her, placing his large hand on her shoulder.

"Go on now, if anything does happens, you know what to do,"

"Don't talk like that, you got this," She only nodded and smiled in response and left the car, heading towards the door with two large men in front of it, her car departing behind her.

"Is your boss really that gentlemanly that he can't walk me inside himself?" Arabella asked the men, sarcasm seeping through her teeth.

One of the men opened the door and allowed her to go inside, following close behind her. They went down a hallway until they entered the pool hall, where Gambol was standing behind the bar making a drink. He smiled when he looked up to see Arabella.

"Bella, you look stunning," The mobster complimented her. She faked a smile in reply and took a seat at the bar.

"I've told you time again, Gambol, it's Cruz." She corrected him, her words too sweet for him to say otherwise.

Gambol only shrugged. "My bad, habit," He finished making his drink and took a sip.

"Mind making me a Sea Breeze, on the rocks?" Arabella asked, batting her lashes at him. Gambol nodded and did what she asked.

"Y'know, I always thought we had a connection," He said, making talk as he made the concoction.

"Mhm?" Arabella rolled her eyes as he averted his gaze at the drink in his hand. He handed it to her when he finished placing a slice of lime on the rim. "Thanks," She took a small drink and got up from her seat, walking towards the pool table.

"Oh, yeah. You're a strong woman. I'm a strong man. We're smart people, Bella." He continued, following her steps. Arabella fought the urge to correct and let him be informal, deciding it would be his last day to speak to her that way. One of his men brought them their pool cues and set up the table.

Gambol continued to blab on as they played, Arabella once in a while nodding and batting her lashes, not even engaging in conversation. She was letting him win, her mind not at all in the game. She only managed a few glances to the door, hoping to hear something soon. It was only minutes later when two guards interrupted them.

"Somebody here for you," One of them began.

"They say they've killed the Joker. They've come for the reward." The other added.

Gambol raised a brow. "They bring proof?"

"They say they brought the body," The guard said. At this he smirked and nodded.

"I guess your employee didn't even make it to orientation." Gambol laughed at Arabella, bringing up the previous night's last words.

"I guess so." She spoke to herself, glaring at the back of his head.

In a few seconds the guards brought in a body wrapped in garbage bags and grunted as they plopped it on the table. Three young men followed, taking in the place before them. Arabella could quickly tell they were rookies.

A strong, musky, smell emerged from the body into Arabella's nose, causing her to scrunch it up instinctively. Her female intuition told her that it truly was the clown in the bags and to prepare herself for whatever he had come up with in the hours after they had talked. She didn't hesitate and followed it.

Opening her clutch discretely, she took out her small switchblade and kept in under the sleeve of her dress, using her other hand to hide it from sight. "So, dead you get five hundred-" Gambol never finished his sentence and Arabella's intuition had been proven correct as the Joker sat up in a flash and stabbed the guard on his right side. Arabella rapidly took out her concealed weapon and revealed it, taking the guard on Joker's left by the shoulder, pressing his back onto her and raising her arm to his neck, running the thin yet deadly blade across it. She felt some of her victims blood drop on her face and she quickly dropped the stiff body to the side.

At the exact moment Gambol spun around only to meet the Joker's grin, as the clown immediately placed his own blade into the gangster's mouth, the sharp metal pulling the cheek taut. The rookies in the back had already subdued the remaining guards.

Gambol's eyes settled on Arabella who was wiping the few drops of blood that had landed on her cheek. "Bella?" He managed to speak, the clown's blade still in his mouth.

"It's _Cruz_ , Gambol," She corrected him, a taunting smile creeping on her lips. She put away her blade and took her drink with her, walking away to the bar as the Joker began to speak.

"Wanna know how I got these scars?" He began.

Arabella was too exhausted to listen to the clown and instead went behind the bar, finishing the rest of her drink and scanning the shelves of liquor. Finding a nice bottle of rum she reached over and took it, opening it with a corkscrew that had been lying on the table. She took a swig and leaned on the tall bar island just as the Joker flicked his wrist and sent Gambol down. The image made Arabella feel the weight around her neck leave.

"Now, our operation is _small_ , but we've got a lot of potential for _aggressive expansion_ ," The Joker proceeded to take one of the pool cues and walk back towards the guards. "So, which one of you fine gentlemen would like to join our team?" He smiled at them before he added, "Oh, there's only one spot open right now so we're going to have tryouts!" He exclaimed, snapping the pool cue. Taking the dullest piece of the broken pool cue, he dropped it in the middle on the men and walked towards Arabella telling his rookies to 'make it fast'.

She offered the bottle to him as he neared her to which he raised a brow, not taking the liquor. "Well, I hope you brought a car because I'm going to be needing a ride home," She said to the clown, standing up straight now, trying to level up to his seriousness.

* * *

This chapter was longer than I expected it to be but I'm pretty satisfied with it. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thank you to Lexy, your comment is greatly appreciated and I'm glad you find the concept exciting!

 **Disclaimer:** None of the DC or Nolan characters are mine.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Wayne's Proposal

The Joker kept his eyes on Arabella the entire ride to her place, she only shifted in her seat, trying hard to not look uncomfortable or intimidated. She took a swig from the bottle of rum every once in awhile, trying to find confidence at the bottom of the bottle. She never did. With the clown, she always felt slightly off, making her sharpen up. The sound of his tongue darting out of his mouth to caress his scars played like a scratched record. From her peripheral vision she could see his foot tapping impatiently and his gloved hands fiddling with each other.

With a sigh, Arabella turned to the Joker and looked at him in the eye. His eyes had already been set on hers. "Do you need something?"

"Well, if you're offering…"

Arabella glared, "I'm asking,"

"You're asking because you're willing to offer," The redhead only watched him, wondering how much of a infantile child he could resemble at times. She kept quiet, refusing to entertain him.

"I'd like the penthouse." He sighed, stretching and sitting carelessly in his seat.

She scoffed loudly at him. "No."

"Y'know, you're quite the fiery jade when you're buzzed and angry." He took note, wagging his gloved finger at her and looking at her with disapproving eyes.

"I'm not buzzed and I'm not angry. I'm simply frustrated because you're being _difficult_." She didn't need look at him to know he had a satisfactory grin on his face.

Joker nodded. "See, that's what someone buzzed would say." Arabella was about to retort when he added, "Anyways, I'll settle for the next big thing,"

Arabella let out a deep sigh. "I have an empty warehouse on Avenue X and Cicero. It's not the most luxurious thing but it should do. It's large and isolated so you can go ahead and work on what you need to work on without any disturbances," She said, lowering her window slightly, allowing a small breeze to enter the vehicle and make chills run down her spine. She quickly closed it and took a deep breath, only to find the clown eyeing her.

"Well, aren't you kind, _Red_ ,"

Arabella sighed and thought of correcting him but decided against it, knowing that if she showed attention to the name he would only pester her even more. _Just like a child_ , she thought bitterly.

"I'm not. I gave my word to help you and I'm following it," She explained, composing herself, feeling much more sober now than a few moments earlier. It had been a while since she had had her last drink. Sure, she casually went out for a drink or two, but half of a bottle was pushing it, especially considering she worked nearly every day of the week and her poor ability to handle a simple drink.

Taking out a compact mirror from her clutch, she examined her face, and wiped away any dry blood that had remained. As she inspected her face she noticed the tiredness in her eyes. She hadn't expected herself to deal with this much workload following her tio's passing, but with great power comes great responsibility. They were her uncle's wise words and it was hard not to think of him whenever she felt stressed.

The car came to a halt and the Joker watched the woman beside him slack her shoulders in relief. She put her mirror back into her clutch and looked at him, he was still sitting impatiently in his seat and then she spoke, "See you soon, Joker." With that, she left and walked the few streets to reach her hotel. She made her way inside to be greeted by a couple of employees. Entering the elevator she looked at her reflection in the mirror walls. Her hair had been put up in a messy ponytail and there were dark bags becoming more visible by the minute under her eyes.

It had taken quite a while to leave Gambol's place, as the few men who were left of Gambol's gang took their sweet time to kill each other. Joker had grown irritated and Arabella had observed him in the entrance as they waited for his men to come out with the victorious man. His lips twitched and low growls erupted from his tainted lips. His foot began to tap rapidly and Arabella couldn't help but wonder what issues this crazy clown had.

The doors opened and Arabella exited, walking to another elevator at the end of the hall. Placing her thumb on the thumb plate next to the elevator, the doors gave her access and she entered. Taking her to the penthouse, she smiled in satisfaction and her place revealed itself. She walked into it and closed the elevator, locking it with a key only she had.

Kicking off her heels, she threw her clutch onto her loveseat she proceeded to strip off her dress as she made way to her bedroom. She was half naked when she went into her bathroom, quickly taking off her makeup and accessories.

Turning on the shower, she pulled off her panties and brassiere, feeling as if she could breathe again. She felt the steam grow, and she walked inside, the hot water drenching her in pure bliss. Her sweat and stress washed down the drain and she rested her head on her shoulder, enjoying the momentary sense of relief she was able to experience. As the seconds went by, she could feel the weight on her shoulders lessen and the heat of the water enveloped her in a momentary elation only to dry herself off moments later and walk back into her bedroom, falling onto her large bed with a loud and satisfactory sigh.

Arabella was awakened early the next morning, a small vibration beside her making her groan in annoyance. Squinting her eyes she could make out Bruce Wayne's name and number.

It was surprisingly early considering the hour she had arrived and slept last night. With time to spare she got up from her heavenly bed and made way to her bathroom to get ready for the day. With the use of a small silk robe, she covered herself and made her way to her kitchen and prepared coffee. She dialed the billionaire's number but was sent to voicemail. Deciding a text would suffice she quickly asked for confirmation to the lunch date they- or rather _he_ , had planned.

After two cups of caffeine Arabella received a response from Bruce, confirming the date was still on play. He would pick her up in an hour and she wasted no time, getting to her feet and quickly doing her beauty routine.

As said, Bruce arrived in his very expensive tailored suit and very expensive sports car. He opened the passenger door for her and a flash went off, causing them both to turn their heads to a few paparazzi that had jogged their way to them and had caught them in a mysteriously intriguing situation. Bruce smirked and posed beside her to which she reluctantly played along but immediately got into the car afterwards. Bruce climbed in and off they went into the street.

"Did you want to go somewhere specific?" She asked him.

He shook his head and glanced at her, smiling. "Thought you'd like to choose."

She thought briefly. "How about the French restaurant on Main? I heard it's good but I haven't had time to go." She suggested.

"French it is." He nodded and stepped on the gas.

Arabella had ended up ordering a light soup and listened to Bruce talk about himself, almost boring himself as much as he was boring her. The distance between them had certainly grown, she wondered if he could sense the detachment between them or if he really just full of it. She knew him better than that but with his continuous blabber of nonsense he really made her doubt his sense of intelligence and social cues at that. She finally decided her time was much to valuable for the prince of Gotham to be wasting it and opened her mouth.

"Bruce, you know I hate to sound rude, but what was the purpose of this?" She interrupted him, growing annoyed of hearing him talk.

He seemed happy she had finally stopped him. He gave her a dazzling smile and chuckled. "Yeah, well, I'm hosting Harvey Dent a fundraiser for his campaign and thought you'd be interested. You definitely helped Mayor Garcia campaign well." He confessed.

Arabella didn't say anything for a while but nodded, understanding. "Well, I do my best." She shrugged and played with the opera cake that had just arrived. "And I accept. I'd like to participate." She smiled at him.

Bruce copied her actions and continued, "Would you like to host the event?" He asked to which she shook her head quickly.

"No, the Golden Hall is still under renovation and it won't be open until a few months" She explained, sighing. "I can take care of the planning if you'd like." She offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll take care of the costs, of course." Bruce assured her.

She was about to protest but decided against it and simply nodded. "Yeah, that's fine." Looking at him she thought about asking about Rachel and she had opened her mouth but he quickly reacted.

"It's not for Rachel." He said, his face changing. The carefree boy toy look had faded away and had been replaced by a serious and grim look.

Arabella nodded and kept quiet, wondering if _she_ was doing it for Harvey.

She smiled at him again, "You didn't have to take me out to eat to win me over, anyway, I would of accepted to help you over a phone call,"

Bruce grinned, "I know, but it's been a while since I've seen you,"

She nodded, "It has, hasn't it?" Her voice had fallen and Bruce could see that, but he didn't say another word, silently understanding the torture in her eyes, the hurt she withheld in her at the acknowledgement of Rachel and Harvey's betrayal.

* * *

Unfortunately for her, Arabella found herself drowning in tedious planning as she held a meeting with a few of her staff and several political campaign event planners. It felt like she had looked at the same shades of gold for a good hour when she finally chose a shade that was not so brash and much more deep.

She held the piece of fabric in her hand and realized how well it complimented Harvey's eyes. Forcing herself out of the clouds, she nodded to her staff member and handed her planner the piece of cloth, the woman clipping it to the large board held up on the wall. 'DENT FUNDRAISER' was written in large font on the top of it.

The half of her day had been spent on Harvey's fundraiser, and by the end of the meeting she felt excruciatingly annoyed, it was just another reminder of what she'd be to Harvey. She knew, deep in the back of that hard headed skull of hers, that she could never be to Harvey what Rachel was, but Arabella couldn't recognize that, and it seemed like she wouldn't be any time soon.

And Bruce? It appeared as if Bruce was either trying to get his name in the political side of the news for more attention, or he was trying to get Rachel back, and as much as Arabella would of liked that, she knew it was of no good use. Like her, Bruce would have to tolerate the nearly picture perfect relationship the two district attorneys had at each other's side. They were a political power couple for Gotham, almost like superheroes locking away criminals while at the same time pushing their relationship further towards marriage, although Arabella didn't know just yet and she was putting herself in a position where she would soon be getting her answer, sooner than she thought possible.

In the afternoon, Arabella had decided she had dealt with any fundraiser planning enough and left her assistants to deal with the extensive amount of detailed work. Instead she had asked for Teddy to go searching for the clown as he had remained too quiet and inactive for her liking, if he was planning the demise of her enemy she wanted to know, it was her right.

She was leaving her office when she received a call from an unknown number which she would normally ignore but she was too tired to ask someone to trace it and instead she answered, holding the cellular device up to her ear to be greeted with the too familiar voice of the Joker.

"Hello, _Red_ ,"

* * *

Short chapter, I know, I apologize if it was underwhelming but I can promise that bigger things are coming.

Thank you to Hayleyhart234, Lexy, and Guest for their comments, I greatly appreciate the feedback!

Lexy - Regarding Arabella and Joker's relationship, I have been taking time in building their relationship even as just business partners, it's quite a challenge writing the Joker's character which is probably why I enjoy writing him so much, haha, but I do have a timeline in mind and so far I can assure you it will _definitely_ be a while before things begin to heat up.

 **Disclaimer:** None of the DC or Nolan characters are mine.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Pure Reputation

"Y'know I've been meaning to ask you a question, Red."

Arabella glared at the Joker, his innocent tone contradicted his face, which offered her a glimpse of mischief. The name had stuck and she knew there was no way to stop him from saying it. Perhaps if she gave _him_ a nickname…

"Cruz?" Ted placed a large arm on her shoulder. She placed hers on top of his large hand and shook her head.

"It's fine T, I can handle it, wait outside." She told him, giving him a smile. Teddy followed her orders but not without giving the clown a hard glare to which the Joker smiled.

"You gotta keep a bodyguard around to protect you from _me_?" He speculated, a look of innocence playing across his features, acting offended by her orders.

"You should feel proud. I never ask him to keep guard unless I feel threatened. You unsettle me and you're impetuous. It's hard to trust you," She said and quickly added, "Anyway, your question will have to wait. I brought you here for a reason." The Joker shut up and raised a brow, waiting for her to spill the news. "Bruce Wayne is having a fundraiser for Harvey Dent, meaning Dawes will be attending as well."

"No politician can be without his arm candy, huh?" Joker laughed.

Arabella sighed. "What are you planning to do? I need you to do this as quick as possible."

She struck a chord in him as she spoke and he rose from his seat opposite of her and placed his palms on each side of her desk, enclosing his large body on her. She stayed still and watched him, his squinted eyes boring into hers. "I'm not some puppe _t_ to you, _Red_ ," He growled.

"No, you're not." Arabella assured him and rose from her seat as well, mirroring his actions. "You're my employee. I hired you to do a job and you will go through with it." She said assertively, brown eyes meeting brown eyes.

The Joker growled lowly and stared at her. He then nodded slowly, not moving another muscle. She suddenly felt very uneasy. "Very well, Red, I'll do your dirty deed."

Arabella fought the urge to smile, knowing better than to show him her small victory. She moved from her place and walked around him to one of the painting behind him, taking off the frame to reveal a safe. The clown followed her movements and she could feel his eyes burn into her skin. Quickly unlocking it she took out a wad of bills and offered them to him. He looked at them curiously, as if to ask what the purpose of the gesture was.

"I'm assuming you'll need people." She said, earning an amused look from the clown. _Geez, this guy had worse mood swings than she did_ , she thought.

"And, uh, what makes you think that?" He inquired.

Arabella sighed and tossed the cash at him, to which he easily caught with a simple lift of his arm and threw onto her desk. "Considering your last goons were a trio of teenagers, I figured you might want to go with people with actual experience on their resume." She explained, returning to her seat, opposite of him.

He faced her again and pointed a gloved finger at her, wiggling it in her face. She frowned. "You're quite observant aren't you, Red?"

"I'm simply logical and need you to do this job without any loose ends."

"Well, I'll do my best." He spoke theatrically earning himself an entertained grin from the small redhead.

After the Joker had left Arabella quickly began the arrangements for the fundraiser, which she had put off for a while. Between making calls and arguing with the lighting technician she managed to answer a call from Maroni, asking her if she was still going to join them for brunch tomorrow. She accepted and looked at her agenda, full every day and after getting off the phone with the mobster she finally stopped for a minute to catch a breath.

It was finally catching up to her- all the stress and pressure of following her uncle's footsteps were eating her alive. She let out a small sob and felt hot tears falling down her cheek at another thought. _Harvey_. Oh, how she missed Harvey. She missed him more than anything in the world and the thought of him broke her.

" _We can't do this anymore_." He had said one night, while he was dressing, putting on the tie she had given him for his birthday.

She had thought he was joking, just teasing, anything, but when she met his eyes and saw the guilt and pain in his gray eyes. She hadn't expected him to be serious but as she watched him search her features for a sign of agreement she realized he was done with her.

The phone rang and she wiped away her tears. Picking up her phone, she cleared her throat and spoke. "Yes?"

" _Ms. Cruz, Mr. Wayne is on the other line._ " The receptionist said, earning a sigh from Arabella.

"Put him through." There was a moment before the lines connected.

" _Ara, I have a suggestion for you._ " He said immediately.

Arabella furrowed her brows in confusion, clueless. "Do you now?"

Bruce chuckled. " _Yes, now I know I'm not one of your many suitors in Gotham,_ " She laughed at that and he continued, " _But, I'd really like for you to be my date at the fundraiser._ "

Arabella wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly but after a moment of silence she responded, "That sounds great,"

" _Really?_ "

"Yeah, who wouldn't want to be the date of _the_ Bruce Wayne?," She joked.

He laughed on the other end, and after a couple of minutes of small talk and banter, he bid her goodbye, ending the call.

Normally, she would have declined the offer. It would only lead to her losing the impeccable reputation she had worked hard to earn. Taking into consideration the amount of infamy her uncle had gained when he had once been near the pinnacle of his career as Gotham's mobster, he had passed away due to his illness, and she was left to take the reigns- it was taking a strain on her. She had fought diligently, making sure not even the detectives in the Gotham City Police Department considered her a threat, besides, the ones that were on her payroll to cover up her illegal work always spoke highly of her- and they believed it too. Of course, now that she had acquired the status of a simple, sweet, and kind woman who invested the once dirty money from her uncle into Gotham, she seemed to have diverged any of her uncle's negative press away from her. She had even bought property, high end hotels, and made charitable donations to the home shelters in Gotham. She was a shining jewel amidst all the notorious mobsters, who she could be publicly seen with, for they all knew it was only because of her uncle. The poor girl who had been under the guidance of a mobster and was now redeeming herself as a pure woman who devoted her time turning Gotham into a better place.

It was all a facade, really. She really did do great things that helped the citizens of Gotham. Her actions had decreased both the amount of homeless people and the amount of people unemployed with donations to local home shelters and constant need for employees at her hotels and restaurants. It was a breakthrough in the history of Gotham. She had done what many thought impossible. She was as adored as the Wayne family had been before their deaths.

Of course, she still continued her uncle's business and intended to end the careers of the rest of the mobsters one by one. She had obtained their respect not only by being Antonio Cruz's only niece but by preserving her uncle's business and upholding a false image that could prevent her from being persecuted, for now at least. She had to be cautious, especially now that she had ties to the Joker who was extremely ostentatious.

After collecting her belongings, Arabella left her office deciding her day was done.

The following morning, she awoke well rested and with an enormous appetite. She changed into something quite devious to match her confident spirit, a red glitzy dress adorning her hourglass figure. She was surprised to find Ted standing in front of her office, considering he usually arrived an hour later.

"Cruz, there's an issue." He said quickly, a look of concern on his face.

"What now? Did Joker do something?" She asked, her mood already turning sour.

Ted shook his head. "It's Lau, he's being questioned."

Arabella did a double take. "Lau? _Here_ , in Gotham?"

"Yeah, I got the tip just minutes ago. Appears that he gave everyone's names. Gordon plans on-"

"He's going to arrest everyone." She finished for him. He nodded in response. With a deep sigh she continued, "It's fine. We'll go through the day normally. If I don't see Maroni or the Chechen they'll get suspicious, make sure you call my lawyers and get someone to tail the Joker. Find him and make sure he doesn't do anything to Harvey."

"Where are you going?" Ted asked as he watched Arabella turn on her heel and head towards the direction she had arrived.

"The second people see me being arrested in red they'll think I'm guilty. I need something pure." She said with a small laugh.

Arabella had changed into her Pascal Millet pink jumpsuit and matching blazer, leaving behind her complementing fluffy boa. She arrived on time to the casual restaurant Maroni had chosen for the occasion. With a false smile she greeted the men as she took seat at the main table, across from Maroni. The Chechen and Maroni had both brought along their middle men as usual and she was glad Ted usually didn't come to brunches with the two mobsters as his absence would have probably gained suspicion.

Ordering a coffee and croissant, she made small conversation with Maroni as the Chechen spoke in his native language with a man seated a table away.

"So, heard from a little bird that Gambol called you to his place the other day," The Italian spoke with a sly smile.

Arabella smirked, "Word gets out easily, doesn't it?"

"Sure does."

"It was only an invitation, of course. I didn't take it." She replied with indifference, taking a sip of her coffee.

There was a glint in Maroni's eyes she didn't catch. "You're bound to give in, might as well do it now, no?" He inquired.

Arabella gave out a high laugh, her sweet voice filling the air around them. "I set the record straight with Gambol since the beginning and haven't led him on once. He's a fool to think he'll ever have a chance with me." She replied.

"Speaking of Gambol, where is he?" The Chechen spoke up, placing his attention on the conversation.

Maroni shrugged, his cold blue eyes still on Arabella. "I called him but he didn't answer." Sal explained.

"So, when do we get our money?" Asked the Chechen.

"Who knows, Lau isn't trustworthy, I said it form the beginning, giving him even a second of our time was the worst thing we could've done." Arabella stated, taking a dig at Maroni's lack of common sense.

With a slight scoff, Maroni took a sip of his wine and shook his head. "Because of him, Gordon didn't sniff into our money, be grateful."

Arabella opened her mouth to retort but was unable to as the television now caught the attention of the three mobsters. Harvey Dent was speaking. "Well, I don't know about Mr. Lau's travel arrangements, but I'm sure glad he's back." He looked satisfied with himself but Arabella could see through his formality and notice how smug he really was. Harvey had always wanted the mob men behind bars, a milestone in his career it would be- in his own words, but did he know he was now also jeopardizing her freedom?

Finally coming to the realization that Harvey could be the reason she could end up in jail made her heart ache.

"Put word out. We hire the clown." The Chechen spoke with his mouth full.

Maroni looked at him with an incredulous look. Arabella only smiled to herself. "I agree."

"Thought you already had business with that wisecrack." Maroni said stiffly.

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Never had the chance, you boys scared him off too soon." She watched Maroni consider her for a moment, not completely buying her lies.

"He was right. We have to fix real problem. Batman." The Chechen continued, looking like he couldn't care less about the other two temperamental mobsters.

"Our boy looks good on the tube." Gordon's voice boomed, gaining the scrutiny of everyone in the secluded area of the restaurant.

Maroni dropped his napkin on his plate and smirked, "You sure you want to embarrass me in front of my friends, lieutenant?"

"Oh, don't worry. They're coming, too." As Gordon made a move towards their table a sea of policemen followed in suit, taking the mobsters and their goons into custody.

Gordon placed an arm on Arabella who only pretended to look confused. "What has happened, Gordon?" She asked, an innocent look replacing her once irritated features.

The older man sighed and furrowed his brows. "Lau said your name was under an account along with the mob. Under the RICO case, any association with the conspirators makes you just as culpable." He told her.

Nodding her head she stood from her chair and put her arms behind her back. "It's alright, Gordon, I'll get my lawyers to fix this immediately, don't worry." She smiled at him, but the older man only gave her a sympathetic smile, oblivious to her masquerade.

* * *

Thank you to Danni and Guest for your encouraging reviews, they're very much appreciated!

In regards to my updates, I will probably do monthly updates perhaps a bit longer, but I'll try to be consistent. The next chapter is practically complete, I just need to revise it, so it'll be posted in late August or so.

 **Disclaimer:** None of the DC or Nolan characters are mine.


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